Carrying device for juxtaposed containers



June 30,1959 F 'L ER 2,892,654

CARRYING DEVICE FOR JUXTAPOSED CONTAINERS Filed NOV. 9, 1955 I INVENTOR. JOHN FELBER 4 g, 50% BY ar a-4M ATTORNEYS United States Patent CARRYING DEVICE FORJUXIAPOSED CONTAINERS John Felber, Hillside, N..1., assignor to American Can Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application November 9, 1955, Serial No. 545,824

3 Claims. '01. 294-873) The present invention relates generally to devices for carrying a plurality of containers and the like in juxtapo sed relation as a unitary package and has particular reference to an open end frame device which supports and ties the ontainers together and provides a handle for carrying them.

An object of the instant invention is the provision of a carrying device for a plurality of containers arranged in juxtaposed relation wherein the device may be readily snapped into position on the containers to tightly hold them against lateral displacement and to support them as a unitary package during carrying.

Another object is the provision of such a carrying device whieh is rigid in construction to properly hold and support the contaners and which is provided with a handle which may be moved into a depressed position on top of the containers to facilitate stackings of the unitary packages one on top of the other.

Ahother object is the provision of such a carrying device which has an open end frame-like construction for fully supporting all of the containers in a package by engagement under a peripheral ledge on the containers and which is provided with supplemental supporting elemer ts to supplement the main support of the containers.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, Which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodirn'ent thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective view of a pair of juxtaposed containers having applied thereto a carrying device embodying the instant invention; I

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the carrying device illustrated in Fig. 1; and

Figs. 3 and 4 are enlarged perspective views of modified forms of the earr'yingde'vi ce, the views showihg movable parts of the device in different dot and dash line positions.

As a preferred or exemplary embodiment of the instant invention the drawings illustrate a carrying device A (Fig. 1) for carrying a pair of fibre Imilk containers B disposed in juxtaposed relation as a unitary package. The containers B preferably are of the character disclosed in United States Patent 2,085,979, issued July 6, 1937, to I ohn M. Hothersall on Container.

Such containers comprise rectangular bodies D having fiat side walls E which at their upper ends are formed with necked-in portions P and outwardly or laterally projecting peripheral end seams or ledges G surrounding and securing in place a flat top closure member H. In the juxtaposed relation of the containers B, two side walls E are directly opposite each other in substantially contiguous relation as best shown in Fig. 1 and the portions of the ledges G for these side walls extend transversely of the package and are substantially coincident. The immediately connecting portions of the ledges G,

2 disposed at right angles to the ends of the transverse portions of the ledges, extend along the two long outer edges of the package in continuing or endwise alignment and are termed the outer longitudinally aligned ledge portions.

The carrying device A preferably is made from wirelike metallic material, such as steel, brass or aluminum or may be made from a plastic material such as Saran (vinylidene chloride polymer) or other stiff andrigid material and comprises an open end rectangular frame 11 (Fig. 2) and a handle member 12. The frame '11 preferably comprises a pair of spaced and parallel wire like rigid side bars or members 14 which are spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the width of a container B as measured at the necked-in portions F di-' rectly under the peripheral ledges G. The length of the side members 14 is substantially equal to the length of the unitary package as measured at the necked-in portions F 'dir'ectly under the longitudinally aligned ledges G of all the juxtaposed containers in the package (in the instant case as shown in Fig; 1, the combined width of two containers). These two side members 14 constitute two opposed continuous sides of the frame 11. V

The ends of the side members 14 merge into short, rigid and inwardly bent, opposed, hook shaped exten sions or end members 15 (Fig. 2) having their terminal ends in spaced relation.- The short extensions or end members 15 constitute discontinuous, broken or open ends of the frame 11. I

The two side members .14 are tied together by the handle member 12 to complete the carrying device A. This handle member 12 preferably is made from the same wire-like material of the frame 11 and is constructed in theform of an inverted U-shaped element having vertical preferably resilient legs 17 and a connecting top or handle bar 18. The lower ends of the legs 17 are permanently secured, preferably by welding or soldering, to the side members 14 at a location midway between the ends of the side members as shown in Fig. 2.

This carrying device A isreadily applied to the juxtaposed containers B by slightly spreading or springing apart the side members 14 and snapping them over the tops ofthe containers so that they engage in the necked; in portions F of the longitudinally aligned side walls E of the containers. When in position on the juxtaposed containers B, the side members '14 of the carrying device engage tightly under the longitudinally aligned portions of the peripheral ledges G on both sides of the containers as shown in Fig. 1 and the hook-shaped extensions or discontinuousend members 15 extend around the outer corners of ,the containers and engage under the outer transverse ledge portions G of the containers. The handle member 12 attached to the side members 14 projects up above the tops of the containers and extends transversely of the unitary package for easy gripping. Thus the side members 14 securely tie the two containers together against lateral displacement and support the containers adequately when carried by the handle bar 18 of the handle member 12.

Where more than two containers B are to be tied together and carried as a unitary package, the side members 14 are made long enough to span and support all of the containers under their longitudinally aligned portions of the ledges G and the hook-shaped end extensions 15 engage around the outermost containers in the package to tie them all together. The handle 12 in any case preferably is located midway between the ends of the side members 14 to properly balance the weight of the containers.

As a modified form of the instant invention, Fig. 3 of the drawings illustrates a carrying device A in which thehandl'e '12 is slid ably attached, in a vertical direction,

7 changes may be made in the form, construction and arto-theside members 14 sothat' the handle may he slid into a depressed position on top of the juxtaposed containers B to permitstacking of the unitary packages one ontop of theoth er. "The side members 14 are also provided with supplemental support elements or lugs 21 which'are engageable between adjacent juxtaposed containers B and under the adjacent transverse portions of the ledges G to supplement the support of the containers by the sicle members 14. i

- 'For' the above purposes, the side members or bars 14 ofthe mo'dified form of the handle as shown in Fig. 3,

are bent to form a pair of opposed and horizontally disposed loops or eyes 22, which are located midway between the ends of the side members. These loops 22' are ro'r'nreeas'pans of the supplemental support lugs 21 and are extensions of the loops bent back upon themselves and'extendinwardlyandhorizontally toward each other infoppo'sed an'daligned relation as shown in Fig. 3. {The ver'ticallegs- 17 of the handle member 12 are freely disposed in and extend through the loops 22 and below the loops the terminal ends of the legs are bent upwardly and reversely-upon themselves to provide stops 23 which retain the handle member 12 against displacement from the loops 22. Thus the legs 17 of the handle member 12 are 'free to slide vertically in the loops and facilitate movement of the handle member into carrying position as shown in full lines in Fig. 3 or into a depressed, out-of-the-way position as shown in dot and dash-lines-in the same figure. Y

- 'In a further modified form of the invention as shown in'Figp4, the handle member 12 is pivotally attached to the side members 14 of the frame 11 and the supplemental supportelem'ents are formed as a part of the handle-memben For these purposes, the side members or bars 14, midway between their ends, are bent to form a pair of opposed, vertically disposed loops 25 which serveas 'pivot bearings' forthe handle. The terminal ends of the vertical legs 17 of the handle member 12 are bent inwardlytoward each other as shown in Fig. 4 toprovide relatively long trunnions 26 which extend through the loops25 from the outer edges of the side members"=14,as pivotal mountings for the handle memher. The inner ends of the trunnions 26 extend inwardly beyond the loops 2S and provide supplemental support lugs 27 for supplementing the support of the s'ide membersfl t as explained above in connection with the modified form shown in Fig. 3.

"Thus when the modified carrying member A as shown in Fig. 4 is attachedto the juxtaposed containers B, thehandle member 12 may be pivoted into an upright carry-' ing position as shown in full lines in Fig, 4 or may be pivoted into a depressed position onto the tops of the juxtaposed containers as shown in the dot and dash lines 'in'Fig. 4 to permit of stacking the unitary packages of juxtaposed-containers B one on 'top of the other as mentioned hereinbefore.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various rangementof the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim: I

l. A carrying device-for tying together a group of juxtaposed rectangular containers 'asa unitary package, said containers each having laterally projecting peripheral ledges at their upper ends with portions of said ledges. arranged in endwise longitudinally aligned, relati'on; said device comprising a horizontalop'en rectangular frame including a pair of spaced parallel side bars each terminating in right-angularly disposed integral transverse end extensionsfacing each other and disposed in spaced aligned relation normal to said pair of bars, said bars and their integral end extensions being disposed in a common horizontal plane forembracing said juxtaposed group of containers for supporting engagement'thereof beneath said ledges on all four exposed sides of the container group, and upstanding handle bar of generally inverted U-shaped configuration operatively v secured at its depending ends to and medially of said 7 mental support means are formed integrally with and extend inwardly from said loops, and the depending ends of said U'-shaped handle bar extend vertically through said loops to permit said. handle to be depressed therethrough' on top. of the juxtaposed containers to permit stacking of the unitary packages one on top of another, said .handle ends having 'stop means thereon to main tainthe handle within said loops. 3. The carrying device of claim 1 wherein each side bar includes a medial integral vertical loop and said supplemental support means comprise the depending ends ofsa'id handle bar terminating in integral inwardly extending trunnions disposed normal'to said side bars and rotatably mounted in said loops, whereby said handle bar may be pivotally moved into depressed posi-' tion on top of.said juxtaposed containers so that said unitarypackagesmay be'sta'cked'one on top of another.

, 7 References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS.- 7 381,135:

2,713,508 Austin July 19, 

